Kaleidoscope.



Pate'nted Aug. s, |899.

D. A. A. Buck.

KALEIDUSCUPE.

(Applibation lad Feb. 7, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

um' Model.)

No. 630,652. Patented Aug. 8, |899. D. A. A. BUCK.

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UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL A. A. BUCK, OF NEV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

KALElooscoPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,652, dated August8, 1899.

Application led February 7,1898. Serial No. 669,327. (No model.)

.To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL A. A. BUCK, of New Haven,in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inKaleidoscopic Toys; and I do hereby declare the following,when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in"

Figure l, a perspective view of a toy constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2, a view of the toyin horizontal section on the line ob of Fig. l; Fig. 3,a view of the toy on the line c d of Fig. 2; Fig. 4,a detached view of the removable puppet-actuating apparatus with thelower plate thereof removed; Fig. 5, a View showing the box in centrallongitudinal section, the puppet-actuating mechanism removed from thebox and shown in side elevation, and an edge view of the bottom of thebox, which is detached, the said box, apparatus, and box-bottom beingarranged in the order of their assemblance; Fig. 6, a detached view ofthe end mirror F2, containing the sight-opening F3.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of toys which arebased upon the principles of the kaleidoscope and which therefore maywith propriety be called kaleidoscopic toys, the object being toproducev a toy of simple construction and durable arrangement by meansof which a few puppets or gures may be apparently multiplied and causedto pass through a series of hippodromc evolutions.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in a kaleidoscopic toyhaving certain details of construction and combinations of parts, aswill be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ a rectangular box or case A,having a groundglass top B and a removable bottom C, the front end ofthe box being provided near its upper edge with a long sight-openin gD,adapted in length to permit the triangular performing-chamber E of thebox to be looked into with both eyes at the same time. The said chamberof the box is formed by three mirrors F, F', and F2, arranged to formthe said triangular chamber, the base of which is placed, so to speak,against the front end of the box, the mirrors F and F corresponding inlength and pitch and the mirror F2 being shorter. within the upperportion of the box and secured to the inner faces thereof, are arrangedfor holding the mirrors in place. However, these strips may be replacedby any suitable holding means. A portion of the silverrefleeting-surface applied to the mirror F2 is removed, as shown in Fig.6, so as to leave the clear-glass sight-opening F3, the saidsightopening F3 conforming in shape to the sightopening D, formed in thefront side of the box.

cate a removable apparatus comprisinga platform or stage I-I,above whichthe movable puppets are supported and below which is 10- cated themechanism which sets them in motion. The said platform H constitutes thetop of a box-like frame, also comprising front and rear pieces II and H2and a narrowlongitudinally-arranged bottom plate H3. The number ofpuppets or iigures and their arrangementwill be varied according to theparticular character of the mimic scene which it is desired to present.No figures are herein shown; but for mounting some of them I haveprovided a revolving disk I, which is located near the wide forward endof the performingchamber E and which itself is attached at a point closeabove the upper face of the plat- Vertical retaining-strips G, locatedWithin the lower portion of the box I loform Il to theupwardly-projecting screwthreaded end of a pivot I. Three pivots I2,located in triangular arrangement and having their upper ends threadedand projecting above the upper face of the platform, are provided forthe attachment of the single figures, such as men or women or animals.The rotation of these pivots may be eii'ected in a variety of ways. Asherein shown it is done by a series of frictionally-driven parts,whereby I avoid the expense of gears and their liability to breakage andderangement. The said parts are driven by a removable crankhandle J,which passes through a suitable opening J', formed in one side ofthebox, and threads into the outer trunnion of the two trunnions K K of agrooved sheave-like driving-wheel K2, arranged in a vertical plane.

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The trunnion K of the said wheel has bearing in a bracket L, dependingfrom the platform I-I, while the trunnion K has a bearing in a bracketL', also depending from the platform H and formed with avertically-arranged downwardly-opening' slot L2, receiving the trunnionand permitting it to be moved downward by the action of a spring M,secured to the inner face of the bracket L and exerting a constanteffort to force the trunnion K downward, so as to force the rubberfrictionband N, mounted upon its extreme rear end, down upon the upperface of the large horizontally-arranged driven wheel O, mounted upon aheavy spindle O', of which the pivot I' constitutes the upper support.At a point below the friction-disk O its spindle O is enlarged andgrooved for the reception of a friction-belt O2, which communicates therotation of the spindle to the spindles P P P, the lower ends of whichare grooved for the reception of the said belt and the upper ends ofwhich are supported by means of the upwardly-projecting threaded pivotsI2 I2 I'2 before mentioned. The lower ends of the spindles O' and P P Pare provided with wire pivots P/ ll P, having bearing in the plate Il),before mentioned. It will be understood that when the grooved wheel IY2is rotated by means of the handle J it will act through the frictionbandN upon the inner end of its trunnion K to rotate the driven wheel L andthe spindle O' thereof and in turn rot-ate the spindles P through thefriction-belt O2. The rotation of these spindles sets the puppets orfigures in motion, as above described. As herein shown, a friction-beltQ, running over the wheel K2, drives a grooved wheel R, which isemployed for the actuation of a music-box mechanism, the respectiveparts of which are collectively designated by R and which are secured toan upright block R2, interposed between the platform II and thebed-plate IIS.

When the removable apparatus just above described is introduced into thebox, its inward movement thereinto is limited by the engagement of itsplatform II with two horizontally-arranged strips S S, secured to thesides of the box in the plane of the loweredges of the mirrors F, F, andF2. IVhen the removable bottom D is applied to the box, it engages withthe lower face of the bed-plate I-I3 and holds the said apparatus snuglywithin the box, from which it may be readily removed fer attention orrepair or for changing the puppets bysimply removing the cover D, whichwill preferably be secured in place by screws. Instead of employing themirror Ii2 for the purpose of multiplying the reflections of the figuresor puppets I may employ a removable card or plate T, adapted in size tobe slipped in front of the mirror F2 and between the extreme rear endsof the mirrors F and F, the said card or plate being so narrow that itsupper edge will fall below the lower edge of the sight-opening D. Thiscard or plate will contain figures or other objects designed to bemultiplied by reflection in the mirrors F and F2. Thus if the puppetsare designed to imitate the figures in a circusring I may apply to theplate T the photograph of a tier of people as seen in a circusring. Thenwhen the performing-chamberis looked into through the sight-opening Dthere will be seen tier after tier of spectators watching theperformance of the figures within the ring.

It is apparent from the suggestions which have been made ofmodifications and of others which may obviously be made, that somechanges from the construction herein shown and described may be made,and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact construction herein setforth, but hold myself at liberty to make such alterations as fairlyfall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a kaleidoscopic toy, the combination with a box or ci se ofmirrors located in the upper portion thereof to form a triangularperforming-chamber the interior of which is viewed through asight-opening formed in one end of the box, and anindependentlyorganized hippodromic apparatus, removably located withinthe lower portion of the box, and comprising a platform, a plurality ofpuppets or figures supported above the said platform at different pointsthereon, and actuatin g means located below the platform and connectedwith the iignres or puppets for independently operating thesame.

2. In a kaleidoscopie toy, the combination with a box or case, ofmirrors located in the upper portion thereof and arranged to form atriangular performing-chamber the interior of which is viewed through asight-opening formed in one end of the box, and auindependently-organized hippodromic apparatus located within the lowerportion of the box, and comprising a platform and a bottom plate whichare connected together so as to form a space between them, puppets orfigures supported above the said platform at different points thereon,friction-wheels and spindles located in the said space and mounted inthe said platform and bottom plate, and frictionbelts for driving thesaid wheels and spindles with which the figures or puppets are connectedthrough openings in the platform and by which they are independentlyoperated.

3. In a kaleidoscopie toy, the combination with a box or case, ofmirrors arranged within the upper portion thereof to form a triangularperforming-chamber the base of which coincides with the frontend of thebox, which IOO IIO

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is formed near its upper edge with a long l sight-opening through whichthe interior of the chamber may be viewed, a removable plate adapted tobe set within the performingchamber against the short mirror justmentioned, and bearing a pictorial representation which will bemultiplied by the refiection of the other mirror, and anndependently-or-l ganized hippodromie apparatus removably located withinthe lower portion of the box or ease, and comprising a platform,Ipuppets or igures supported above the said platform at different pointsthereon and rising into the performing-chamber the mirrors of whichmultiply them by reflection, and also eomprising means located below theplatform but io Connected with the said puppets or 'figures throughopenings formed therein for actuating the said puppets or g'ures inindependent operation.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

DANIEL A. A. BUCK.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. SEYMOUR, FRED. C. EARLE.

